Quantitative detection of Aspergillus spp. by real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification.

Rapid and quantitative detection of Aspergillus from clinical samples may facilitate an early diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). As nucleic acid-based detection is a viable option, we demonstrate that Aspergillus burdens can be rapidly and accurately detected by a novel real-time nucleic acid assay other than qPCR by using the combination of nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) and the molecular beacon (MB) technology. Here, we detail a real-time NASBA assay to determine quantitative Aspergillus burdens in lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids of rats with experimental IPA.